A day earlier, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich guessed the timetable for guard Manu Ginobili’s return from a strained right hamstring to be a matter of weeks rather than days.

Before Monday’s 92-90 loss at Memphis, the Spurs put an official number on Ginobili’s prognosis, announcing the 35-year-old bench catalyst would miss the next three to four weeks with his latest injury.

That estimate might keep Ginobili out for the remainder of the regular season, which ends April 17. Should he go the full four weeks, it would place the start of the playoffs in jeopardy.

Monday marked the 15th game Ginobili has missed this season, and the second in a row with this particular hamstring strain suffered Friday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

He missed nine games in late January and early February while dealing with an issue in his other hamstring.

Including the defeat to the Grizzlies, the Spurs are 10-5 without him.

“We’ve been having people out all year, man,” Jackson said. “I think Pop did a great job of putting this team together where if we have guys out or injured, other people can step up. That’s why it’s called a team game.”

In 59 games this season, Ginobili is averaging 11.9 points and shooting 42.6 percent, his lowest marks since his second season in 2003-04.

Frustrating foul-out: Tiago Splitter isn’t sure he could have altered what turned out to be the game-winning shot, a driving Mike Conley layup with 0.6 seconds to play. But he would have liked the chance to try.

The Spurs center was forced to watch the final 2:37 from the bench, having picked up his sixth foul on an earlier Conley drive.

Splitter called the first disqualification of his two-plus NBA seasons “very frustrating,” especially considering the Spurs were already without forward Tim Duncan (sore left knee).

“I didn’t think I fouled him, but they called it,” said Splitter, who ended with 13 points and 11 rebounds. “Definitely, it’s not a good sensation to be on the bench in the last part of the game.”